Literature Review

Hike For Hospice surpasses expectations: Brings in over $167k CKXS, 99.1, Chatham-Kent & Lambton County (Southwest Ontario, Canada); 5/7/24 An annual walk in support of end-of-life care in Chatham-Kent has smashed its fundraising record. More than 500 people took part in the eighth annual Hike for Hospice event on Sunday at John McGregor Secondary School and Mud Creek Trail. The Chatham-Kent Hospice Foundation surpassed its $140,000 fundraising goal, bringing in $167,500 through pledges collected by hikers and sponsors. “It was so touching to see so many people walking together on the trail and all the memorial signs are just a reminder of the impact Hospice has made in our community,” said Event Co-Chair Ginny Hawken in a news release.

Executive Personnel Changes - 5/10/24

Ascension health care network disrupted by cyberattack, interrupting clinical operations CBS Chicago News; by Adam Harrington and Matthew Cramer; 5/9/24 The Ascension health care network announced Wednesday that its clinical operations have been disrupted by a cyberattack. In a news release, Ascension said it responded immediately, and access to some systems has been interrupted with remediation efforts in progress. "Our care teams are trained for these kinds of disruptions and have initiated procedures to ensure patient care delivery continues to be safe and as minimally impacted as possible," Ascension said in a news release. "There has been a disruption to clinical operations, and we continue to assess the impact and duration of the disruption."

Van Duyne, Blumenauer, 38 lawmakers push CMS on hospice integrityVanDuyne.house.gov; Press Release; 5/8/24Today, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) led a bipartisan group of 38 lawmakers demanding answers from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the implementation of recent reforms aimed at combatting hospice fraud and abuse. “When electing to receive hospice care, individuals and their families must be confident the provider is committed to delivering individualized, compassionate care that optimizes quality of life; however, we continue to hear about instances of pervasive fraud and abuse,” the lawmakers wrote.  ... To better understand the steps CMS has taken to increase program integrity, the lawmakers continued the letter with detailed questions on the implementation of reforms. Read the full letter here.  ...“Thank you, Representatives Blumenauer and Van Duyne, for your leadership in holding CMS accountable and safeguarding hospice patients and families from fraudulent activities,” said Ben Marcantonio, Interim CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Preserving the integrity of the Medicare Hospice Benefit is paramount to ensure high-quality care for Americans with serious illness and end-of-life care needs.” 

The Check-Up: How seniors can better take care of their mental health The Keene Sentinel; by Olivia Belanger Sentinel Staff; 5/8/24 My generation talks about mental health a lot. In our late 20s, my friends and I routinely check in to see how we’re feeling, reschedule plans because we’re in a mental funk or talk about how we can help support each other when we’re not feeling mentally healthy. ... But I know that for older generations, this can be hard to come by. ... [Older] adults are more likely to experience life changes — like coping with a serious illness or losing a loved one — which can lead to feelings of grief, social isolation or loneliness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Loneliness in particular is one of the biggest threats to seniors, especially those who live in rural areas like the Monadnock Region where reliable transportation is limited. Research shows loneliness is as bad for people’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, according to the U.S. Surgeon General. Signs that you may need to help your mental health, NIMH says, include: ... 

Hudson Valley Hospice celebrates nurses everywhere for their life-changing work Townsquare Hudson Valley; 5/7/24 Hudson Valley Hospice is celebrating its nurses in all of their roles! From LPNs to registered nurses, nurse case managers to triage nurses, on-call nurses to nurse practitioners, they make a difference each moment of every day in their patients and their loved ones' lives. Hudson Valley Hospice is proud to call many of these heroes their own, with three of them being nominated for Hudson Valley Magazine’s 2024 Excellence in Nursing Awards: ... To Hudson Valley Hospice’s extraordinary nurses and nurses everywhere, thank you and Happy Nurses Month!Editor's Note: Hudson Valley Hospice effectively used the national nurses celebration to thank all nurses (their organizations and others), honor their persons receiving nursing excellence awards, promote community awareness about their hospice services, and recruit nurses for open roles. Bravo to you for this great communication!

Hospice Certifying Physician Medicare Enrollment InformationPalmetto GBA email; 5/6/24Pursuant to our authority under section 6405 of the Affordable Care Act, and as part of CMS' larger strategy to address hospice program integrity and quality of care, certifying physicians, including hospice physicians and hospice attending physicians, must be enrolled in or opted-out of Medicare for the hospice service to be paid. Effective June 3, 2024, (delayed from May 1, 2024) CMS will begin implementing edits to enforce this new rule and will deny hospice claims if the physician entered in the Attending field on the claim is not in the Provider Enrollment Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) as an enrolled or opted-out physician.

Improving inclusive palliative care for transgender patients Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/7/24... Nearly a quarter (21.3%) of 865 interdisciplinary palliative professionals indicated that they had observed some form of discriminatory care delivered to a transgender patient in a recent study published in Cambridge University Press’ journal Palliative Support Care. Furthermore, 85.3% of study participants said they witnessed disrespectful care, while inadequate and abusive care was observed by 35.9% and 10.3% of palliative teams, respectively. ... [Read more for descriptions and interventions, as discussed with Zachary Fried, licensed clinical social worker and training supervisor of Optum at Home, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group.] 

Ordered to pay $1.536B in criminal fines and forfeiture for distributing misbranded opioid medication Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice; Press Release; 5/3/24Endo Health Solutions Inc. (EHSI) was ordered to pay $1.086 billion in criminal fines and an additional $450 million in criminal forfeiture — the second-largest set of criminal financial penalties ever levied against a pharmaceutical company —for violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act related to the distribution of the opioid medication Opana ER with INTAC (Opana ER). ...

Spiritual distress, hopelessness, and depression in palliative care: Simultaneous concept analysisMDPI; by Helga Martins, Rita S. Silva, Joana Braganca, Joana Romeiro, and Silvia Caldeira; 5/7/24The results highlight that the three concepts are different but also share some overlapping points. Spiritual distress is embedded in the rupture of their spiritual/religious belief systems, a lack of meaning in life, and existential issues. Hopelessness is a sense of giving up and an inability to control and fix the patient’s situation. Finally, depression is a state of sadness with a multi-impaired situation. In conclusion, refining the three concepts in palliative care is essential since it promotes clarification and enhances knowledge development towards intervention.

Lawmakers press nursing home chains on corporate spending amid staffing rule fight The Hill; by Nathaniel Weixel; 5/6/24Congressional Democrats demanded information about the corporate spending by the operators of three of the country’s largest public, for-profit nursing homes, after the companies said they can’t afford the Biden administration’s new minimum staffing threshold. In letters sent to the companies Sunday, ... [they] pressed for information about buyouts, dividends, and salaries to executives and shareholders. The lawmakers aim to contrast that with the salaries for nurses and nursing aides, amid widespread industry opposition to the new staffing requirements because they are too costly.  

Caring for the Caregiver: A Guide for Home Care Providers Forbes; by Joan Ekobena; 5/8/24This article proposes that nurturing the psychological and physical well-being of caregivers [employees] is essential. It’s not just a matter of ethical responsibility but a fundamental factor for maintaining quality care, promoting continuity of care and boosting employee retention. This can create a positive ripple effect, which can not only increase customer satisfaction but also boost business revenue. ... A recent decision by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) underscores the increasing awareness of the need to invest in caregiver wellness. Guides are listed as "Strategies for Supporting Caregiver Wellness and Mindset": ... [Note: "Caregiver" denotes employees who provide home care, not the family "caregiver" in the home.]